Departmental Freedom of Information

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department received in 2008; and how many of these received a substantive response within 20 days.

Ann McKechin: Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice on Freedom of Information in central Government for 2008 show that of a total of 111 non-routine requests received by the Department (based on aggregated quarterly data) 71 per cent. (79) received a substantive response within 20 days. 78 per cent. (87) of requests were dealt with 'in time', that is within 20 days by meeting the deadline or other permitted extension deadline.
	The statistics can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomof informationquarterly.htm
	and copies are available in the Library of the House.

Irish Language

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to Annex B of the St. Andrews Agreement of October 2006, what steps the Government plans to take to fulfil the commitment to introduce legislation on the Irish language reflecting on the experience of Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Annex B of the St. Andrews Agreement committed the Government to introducing an Irish Language Act reflecting on the experience of Wales and Ireland and to work with the Executive to enhance and protect the development of the Irish language.
	The Government took forward this commitment through the publication of two consultation papers in December 2006 and March 2007 setting out their proposed approach to an Irish Language Act. The latter included draft clauses.
	Following the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 8 May 2007, the responsibility in this area passed to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive.
	The Northern Ireland Executive was placed under a statutory duty, by the Northern Ireland (St. Andrews Agreement) Act 2006, to adopt a strategy to enhance and protect the development of Irish language. The Executive has a similar statutory duty to enhance and develop the Ulster Scots language, heritage and culture.
	The Government recognise the close connection between language and identity issues, and understands the concern of individuals to see that the language in which they were brought up, or which is used in their communities, is respected. It therefore believes that these statutory duties are of particular importance and encourages the Executive to complete and publish their strategies.
	The Government reaffirmed, at the British-Irish Council on 13 November 2009, their commitment to work with the Executive to support the development and implementation of strategies for Irish language and Ulster Scots and is continuing to work with other Administrations through the British-Irish Council to share best practice on the enhancement and protection of minority languages.
	In addition, the Government are seeking views in their consultation paper "A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland: Next Steps" on what additional legislative protections in relation to the Irish language might be included in a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights.
	Work is also being taken forward in relation to Irish language broadcasting. The British and Irish Governments hope shortly to sign a memorandum of understanding which will contain commitments to the continuing widespread availability of TG4 in Northern Ireland following the digital switchover, and to exploring the increased availability of RTE in Northern Ireland.

Climate Change

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of the UK's adaptation to climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: Since the Climate Change Act came into force earlier this year, we have:
	launched the UK Climate Projections 09
	established the Adaptation Sub Committee; and
	set out the strategy for using the Adaptation Reporting Power
	The Adapting to Climate Change Programme is driving work on the first UK Climate Change Risk Assessment which will report in January 2012, in line with the timetable set out in the Act.

Biodiversity

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of progress since February 2009 towards meeting the objectives set out in the EU's 2010 targets to halt biodiversity loss; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The European Commission and member states are currently compiling data to allow an assessment next year of progress against the targets in the EU Biodiversity Action Plan. We measure our progress towards the EU's 2010 target to halt biodiversity loss through the UK Biodiversity Indicators. This was reported in the National Statistics publication "Biodiversity Indicators in Your Pocket 2007", which was updated most recently in April 2009. Statistics for wild birds were updated in October 2009 and those for sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) are updated monthly.
	Overall, 23 (72 per cent.) of the 32 measures that comprise the UK Biodiversity Indicators are "improving" or show "little or no overall change" since the year 2000. In particular, 89 per cent. of SSSIs are in favourable or recovering condition, agri-environment schemes are leading to significant improvements, and we have made great strides with the Marine and Coastal Access Act.

Fisheries: White Fish

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the likely effects on the under 10 metre fishing industry of the introduction of the 500kg cod lottery draw.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The additional 18 tonnes of quota the Marine and Fisheries Agency was able to obtain for the inshore vessels to fish for cod in area VIId will prove a valuable, if limited, fishing opportunity for those vessels that received the quota. It is estimated that the additional quota will have a total value of c.£36,000 at current market prices, or £1,000 for each vessel that receives an allocation of 500kg of quota. An allocation of 500kg of quota per vessel should allow those vessels to undertake normal fishing activity and minimise discards in a mixed fishery until the end of the year.
	Given the strictly limited amount of quota available, it was not possible to open the fishery to all the licensed vessels that may have wished to take part in the fishery and remain confident of meeting the UK obligations in ensuring there is no overfish of this quota.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people are registered with Flood Warnings Direct.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency has over 450,000 registered users on Floodline Warnings Direct.
	The Environment Agency's Floodline Warnings Direct is a free service that provides flood warnings direct to users by telephone, mobile, email, SMS text message and fax.

Departmental Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what payments Cycling England has made to Blue Rubicon in the last 12 months; for what purpose; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract under which such payments have been made.

Sadiq Khan: Blue Rubicon has been contracted through the Central Office of Information (COI) to provide public relations services to Cycling England. The agency delivers a programme of activity targeting consumers and engaging stakeholders with the aim of getting more people cycling, more safely, more often. A key focus of Blue Rubicon's work is the promotion of Bikeability cycle training for children (supporting the Government's goal of training an additional 500,000 children by 2012).
	In the 12 months from November 2008 to October 2009, £493,177 was paid to Blue Rubicon in connection with the provision of such services. A further £432,985 was spent on external expenses (such as the supply of Bikeability badges) associated with the Cycling England campaign and procured through Blue Rubicon. In total, £926,162 was spent over the 12 months. During this period, the contract was retendered and refocused. As a result, the total value of work for the seven months from April to October 2009 was just over £321,000.
	Blue Rubicon's contract is with the COI who have released a copy of the terms and conditions of the contract and their brief for the work. These have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Transport: Expenditure

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department spent per capita on transport  (a) revenue and  (b) capital schemes in (i) England, (ii) each Government region and (iii) the City of York Council area in each year since 1996-97.

Sadiq Khan: The Department of Transport publishes estimates of its total expenditure on services per head by region and country in its annual report. These figures rest on a number of assumptions, for example about how total expenditure on strategic highways and rail should be attributed to different regions, and figures are not available below regional level. The report does not include the split between revenue and capital schemes.
	However, a further analysis showing the breakdown between revenue and capital schemes per capita for the Department since its formation in May 2002 is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Department for Transport revenue and capital expenditure per capita 
			  Region  CAP or CUR  2002-03( 1)  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East CAP - 5 5 6 9 9 
			  CUR 65 79 70 77 111 109 
			 
			 North West CAP - 8 9 9 14 16 
			  CUR 81 102 114 111 148 153 
			 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber CAP - 5 5 6 10 9 
			  CUR 67 82 73 76 119 114 
			 
			 East Midlands CAP - 6 7 8 10 9 
			  CUR 90 100 94 104 127 114 
			 
			 West Midlands CAP - 7 9 9 12 12 
			  CUR 85 105 125 121 143 142 
			 
			 East CAP - 5 5 6 8 8 
			  CUR 86 92 73 75 104 99 
			 
			 London CAP - 30 12 13 19 20 
			  CUR 135 285 116 107 141 142 
			 
			 South East CAP - 12 13 13 17 16 
			  CUR 90 155 153 146 182 175 
			 
			 South West CAP - 5 7 9 11 10 
			  CUR 71 89 100 113 148 134 
			 
			 England CAP - 6 6 7 10 10 
			  CUR 89 133 107 107 141 136 
			 (1 )The figures proved for 2002-03 are aggregate. 
		
	
	These figures do not include grant support provided by the Department to local authorities. Revenue support to authorities for transport is generally provided through the Revenue Support Grant. Amounts provided to York city council in these years are as follows:
	
		
			  £ millions 
			   LTP funding  Pre-LTP funding  Major projects  Total capital funding 
			 2009-10 4.856 - - 4.856 
			 2008-09 5.116 - - 5.116 
			 2007-08 5.560 - - 5.560 
			 2006-07 5.864 - - 5.864 
			 2005-06 6.225 - - 6.225 
			 2004-05 6.302 - - 6.302 
			 2003-04 5.981 - - 5.981 
			 2002-03 5.555 - - 5.555 
			 2001-02 5.995 - - 5.995 
			 2000-01 2.262 - - 2.262 
			 1999-2000 - 1.983 - 1.983 
			 1998-99 - 1.127 - 1.127 
			 1997-98 - 2.212 0.977 3.189 
			 1996-97 No data No data 2.262 2.262

Dept for Business, Innovation and Skills

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the  (a) advantages and  (b) disadvantages of the merger of the Departments for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Gordon Brown: I refer the right hon. Member to the machinery of government press notice issued by my Office. Copies are available in the Library of the House and are also available on the No. 10 website at:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page19525

Iraq Committee of Inquiry: Disclosure of Information

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what protocols have been agreed between the Government and the Iraq Inquiry on the disclosure and publication of documents provided to the Committee.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Cabinet Office press release of 29 October publishing the information sharing the protocol the Government have agreed with the Iraq Inquiry. This is the only protocol agreed between the Government and the Inquiry.

Bangladesh: Climate Change

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is providing to Bangladesh to help combat the effect of climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) works closely with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) on climate change issues. DFID:
	Assisted the GoB in developing a national Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan and provided £60 million to help implement them.
	Provided more than £6 million since 2004 to support disaster preparedness in the regions of Bangladesh most vulnerable to severe climate shocks. We are providing a further £12 million to support this work over the next five year, covering a wider area. This programme is implemented by UNDP and co-financed by the European Union. It is also part of Bangladesh's Climate Change Strategy.
	Providing £690,000 to research institutions and universities in Bangladesh to increase national capacity to assess the impacts of climate change and improve Bangladesh's climate adaptation strategy and activities.
	Building the country's resilience to climate change through improved governance, health, education and job opportunities.

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will publish a Government response to future recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs;
	(2)  what factors he takes into consideration when assessing recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs;
	(3)  on what basis he rejected the recommendation of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs that cannabis should remain a class C drug.

Alan Campbell: As my right hon. Friend the former Home Secretary (Jacqui Smith) advised in her statement to the House on 7 May 2008,  Official Report, column 705, the reclassification of cannabis as a Class B drug against the advice of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was based on a number of factors, including but not limited to scientific evidence. Reclassification on 26 January 2009 is a preventative measure to protect the public, particularly the future health of young people.
	The Government's Reply to the Fifth Report from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee Session 2005-06 HC 1031 Drug classification: making a hash of it? can be found at:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm69/6941/6941.pdf
	sets out the factors, including the ACMD's recommendations, that are considered in relation to drug classification decisions.
	The Government have published and will continue to publish responses to the recommendations in the reports of Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Housing: Fire Prevention

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will review the fire safety provisions and regulations relating to  (a) multi-storey hostel,  (b) student and  (c) key worker housing for the purpose of making further fire safety provisions; and if he will require the owners of such accommodation to conduct their own fire safety checks.

Shahid Malik: holding answer 9 December 2009
	 The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 came into effect in October 2006. In March 2009, my Department published an initial evaluation of the effectiveness of the order which indicated the legislation was bedding in well. We therefore have no plans, at present, to review it.
	The Fire Safety Order places the responsibility for fire safety in all non-domestic premises, including hostels and halls of residence, in England and Wales, with a 'responsible person' for the premises-usually the employer, owner or occupier. It requires the responsible person for the premises to carry out a fire safety risk assessment and to put in place appropriate fire safety measures to adequately protect lives in the event of a fire.
	In other types of multi-occupied residential premises, including blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupation, the order applies to the common parts of the premises, rather than the individual domestic units themselves. In these premises, the 'responsible person' is likely to be the landlord.

Food Strategy Task Force

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the names are of each member of her Department's Food Strategy Task Force group on  (a) vision and strategy,  (b) joint research strategy,  (c) healthier food mark,  (d) integrated consumer advice,  (e) global foods market and  (f) food communications and campaigns; in which Government department or agency each group member works; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Food Strategy Task Force was established by the Cabinet Office in July 2008, to oversee the delivery of activities identified in the Food Matters cross-Governmental strategy on food. It was comprised of civil servants from Cabinet Office, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, the Department for Health, the Chief Scientific Advisor, the Department for International Development, the Treasury, the Food Standards Agency, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, the Department for Energy and Climate Change, and the Devolved Administrations. Progress of this work was set out in the "Food Matters One Year On" report which was published in August 2009. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Following completion of most of the agreed actions, the Food Strategy Task Force was wound up and responsibility for ongoing cross-Governmental co-ordination of food policy was transferred to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	Some of the sub-committees established to support the Food Strategy Task Force continue to meet, where their work is not yet concluded. They have a wide-ranging membership from across Whitehall and outside. The exact officials who attend each meeting are not necessarily constant; rather Departments and organisations are represented by the official they feel most appropriate. Departments and organisations represented across these groups include those listed, representatives from local administrations and services and representatives from various research councils, among others.